Double-swinging door



Patented Sept. 4, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Germany June 6, 1931 3 Claims. (01. 20-10) My invention relates to hinge latch for double swinging doors. It is an object of my invention to provide a latch of the kind described which is particularly suitable for chests in which it must make a tight fit, such as ice chests, cooling chests and the like.

To this end, in combination with packing means for the door, and means for moving the door hinges into active and inactive position, I provide means, preferably camming means, for exerting pressure on the packing means while each hinge moves into active position.

A double swinging door, if fitted to an ice chest or the like, presents the advantage that it enables the door to be always opened in the direction of the light. For instance, if the ice chest is placed near a window, its door will be opened toward the window in day time and toward the source of artificial light at night.

The hinges alternately operate as bolts at one side and as hinges at the other. It is important that the packing should notbe interfered with by the movement of the door about its temporary hinge, but should make a uniform and reliable fit under all conditions.

In the drawing aflixed to this specification and forming part thereof one side of a double swinging door equipped with two hinge latches embodying my invention, with the hinge latch at this side, is illustrated diagrammatically by way of example, it being understood that the hinge latch and its accessories are duplicated at the other side.

In the drawing Fig. 1 is a cross section of the door and its frame in the axial plane of one of its hinge latches, and a partial axial section of the hinge latch itself,

Fig. 2 is a section on the line IIII in Fig. 1, and

Fig. 3 is a horizontal section throughthe wall of the'chest, showing the illustrated end of the door in plan view.

Fig. 4 illustrates a detail.

Referring now to the drawing, q is the wall or door frame of the ice chest or the like, p is the double-hinged door, and a is a packing strip of any suitable material such as rubber or the like, which is placed between the inner face of the door p and a shoulder m in the frame q. h is a sleeve which is inserted in the door, with its axis coincidingwith the axis about whichthe door turns on the hinge. A similar sleeve is provided at the opposite end of the door but not shown as the sleeve and the parts connected thereto are identical at both sides of the door. Mounted to slide in the sleeve h at opposite ends thereof are tubular slides j which alternately act as bolts and hinge pins, and e are springs which tend to push the slides out of the sleeve h and into recesses b in two opposite inner faces, of the frame q. Only the spring e for the upper slide f is shown partly in section in Figs..-1 and 2, but the spring for the lower slide is exactly similar and the inner ends of both springs are abutted on a transverse web or shoulder .(not shown) at the centre of the sleeve h.

When the slides f are in the position illustrated, the corresponding hinge serves as a hinge or bolt, as the case may be. If it is desired to open the door by turning it about the hinge (not shown) at the opposite side, the slides I must be retracted against the action of their springs e. The means for retracting them will now be described. k is a shaft which extends transversely through the centre of the sleeve h, l is a handle or knob on the outer end of the shaft, 1' is a crank, i is a projection on the door as which cooperates with a tooth r on the crank for limiting its rotation in clockwise direction, here shown as a disk, on the inner end of the shaft. s and s are two crank pins pitched at 180 degs. on the crank r and g and g are connecting rods extending, respectively, from the crank pins s and s to gudgeon pins t and t' at the inner ends of rods d which are mounted to slide in the slides f. The gudgeon pins t and t engage eyes in the ends of the rods d which project from the inner ends of the corresponding slides f. u is a flange on each rod (1 which bears on a seat or shoulder at the inner end of the corresponding slide 1 so that by rotating the shaft is in anticlockwise direction by means of the handle Z the two slides of the hinge are retracted against the pressure of their springs e.

The means for compressing the packing a. (Fig. 3 shows it compressed) are combined with the means for controlling the slide 1. Mounted to slide in the outer end of each slide is a plunger 0 which is connected to the inner end of the corresponding rod d by a gudgeon pin 12. w is a guiding face on the inner side of the plunger 0 by which it engages the corresponding inner side of the slide f. The main or camming portion a: of the plunger 0 projects from a recess at the upper end'of its bolt 7 and has a cam face y engaging the inclined face a of an aperture in the top of the slide 1'.

It will be understood that when the shaft is is rotated clockwise the springs e are free to push their slides outwardlr which entrain the rods a y of the plungers c which abut against, the side walls a of the recesses 1), causes the door 1) to through the medium of the flanges u. The movement of the rods is positively transmitted to the plungers c and the reaction of the inclined face move inwardly and to compress the packing strip a.

In this manner the slides 1 when operating as bolts, close the door and their plungers 0 apply the door to the packing a under pressure.v

I wish it to be understood that I do not desire -to be limited to the exact details of construction shown and described for obvious modifications will occur to a, person skilled in the art.

I claim:---

1. A doubleswinging door comprising. a door frame formed with recesses, a door in said frame, hinge latches movable axially in said door and into the recesses formed in said frame, and camdoor and into the recesses formed in said frame,

cam-faced plungers axially slidable within said latches into a position in which they project from an eccentric aperture ,in said latches to ekert pressure on the side walls of said recesses,

and means for axially moving said plungers.

WILHELM KURT SCHMIDT. 

